Safe Vacationing: Top 5 Items Most Commonly Stolen from Homes

Vacation is when you’re supposed to relax, but that’s not easy if you’re worried about your home being broken into while you’re gone. One thing that can help is knowing what items would make your home a likely target of burglary and making sure to protect those items. Here are the top five things you’ll want to keep safe while you’re away.

1. Cash

Everything burglars steal will be sold for cash. If they can their hands right on the cash, they’d take that over anything else. It’s also easy to transport and usually easy to find in a home. If you have large amounts of cash in your home, one good recommendation is to keep it in a safe that’s bolted to the floor. Otherwise, keep your money in the bank to keep it safe.

2. Jewelry

The old movie pictures of burglars going through your jewelry box is absolutely true. Jewelry is easy to transport and profitable to sell, so it’s one of the first places they’ll look. Fortunately, jewelry is also smaller and easier to hide, so if it’s not out in the open, they’re not likely to look far. When you leave, stash your diamonds and your favorite rings and necklaces somewhere unexpected, or purchase a home safe.

3. Laptops

Laptops are devastating to lose. They’re not only expensive to replace, but often have sensitive information. Before a burglar sells your stolen laptop, he or she can potentially access sensitive information saved in your browser from online retailers or your online banking website. Most people who go on vacation take their laptops with them, but if you don’t, make sure it’s someplace secure and out of sight.

4. Guns

If you have a lot of guns in your house, it may keep you safer from burglars when you’re home. But when you’re gone, those burglars will want your guns to resell them if they’re unsecured. Put them in a diversion safe when you leave on vacation. Most burglars will not go to the trouble of trying to open a safe. They just want to get in and out as fast as they can.

5. TVs

The nicer the TV, the more likely it is to get stolen. There’s always somebody who will pay for that. Since TVs are too large to put in a safe or lock up separately, so the only way to truly discourage TV theft is to discourage break-ins overall. Get alarms or hire a trusted house sitter to keep watch over your home while you’re gone. At least leave a few lights or the radio on to distract burglars.